Delivering Happiness

A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose

By: Tony Hsieh

Narrated by: Tony Hsieh

In this, his first audiobook, Tony Hsieh - the widely admired CEO of Zappos, the online shoe retailer - explains how he created a unique culture and commitment to service that aims to improve the lives of employees, customers, vendors, and backers. Using anecdotes and stories from his own life experiences, and from other companies, Hsieh provides concrete ways that companies can achieve unprecedented success. Even better, he shows how creating happiness and record results go hand-in-hand.

He starts with the "Why" in a section where he narrates his quest to understand the science of happiness. Then he runs through the ten Zappos "Core Values" - such as "Deliver WOW through Service", "Create Fun and A Little Weirdness", and "Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit" - and explains how you and your colleagues should come up with your own.

Hsieh then details many of the unique practices at Zappos that have made it the success it is today, such as their philosphy of allocating marketing money into the customer experience, thereby allowing repeat customers and word-of-mouth be their true form of marketing. He also explains why Zappos's number-one priority is company culture and his belief that once you get the culture right, everything else - great customer service, long-term branding - will happen on its own.

Finally, Delivering Happiness explains how Zappos employees actually apply the Core Values to improving their lives outside of work - and to making a difference in their communities and the world.

©2010 Tony Hsieh (P)2010 Hachette

Do one thing exceptionally

The first quarter of the book about Tony Hsieh's childhood and the lessons he learned feels a bit forced (my button business taught me the lesson of ______). But, my doubts were quickly dispelled with the story of Zappos. I loved how Tony focused on one thing, the best customer service, and did it really well. To have the best customer service, they focused on company culture through a system of hiring (it's easier to hire people who fit the culture than try to change people) and through employee advancement opportunities through their "pipeline," giving employees perceived control of their careers. I can't think of any other large company that has been able to sustain a culture (Starbucks had a unique culture, but in recent years they've become too big to sustain it). Tony says that the Zappos company culture is their one sustainable competitive advantage. Will company culture work for your company? It's hard to say, but there probably is one thing that your company could do better than any other company...and it is probably worthwhile to develop that.

The argument was made about Tony "getting lucky." I have to agree, but I'd add that any business success is 80% luck and 20% planning, tenacity, insight, and work ethic. The 20% is critical to making success, but it's not sufficient. Even the most brilliant people will fail more often than they succeed, but you don't often see the entire journey of failures before success. You could use the "luck" argument for any success (Thomas Edison just got lucky, after all, he was wrong 999 times before he was right).

I thought that Tony did an excellent job of narrating his book. This isn't the case with many authors turned narrators (i.e. Beer School), but with several authors like Malcom Gladwell and Bill Bryson, hearing the book in the author's voice puts you into the story better than with a professional narrator. I'd put Tony's narration squarely in this category.

Delivering Happiness

This is an astonishing book. Forget the guy who doesn't like the narration -- Tony is a real guy, and you know he's talking from the heart. This book will change how business is done. I am one of the founding members of a music .com company. I was absolutely fascinated and inspired by Tony's approach to running a big business with the feel a small family. Their ideas about writing down "core values" and printing a company culture book are ideas I will implement asap. I remember vividly (I am in my fifties) the sense of depressing dread I felt in almost every job place I ever worked, and it was completely unnecessary. Why does "work" not have meaning, whatever your position? When I sweep the floor in my house, I don't feel like a loser, because it's my house. I think Tony would agree if I sweep the floor at Zappos.com, it's my house too, and why would I not be proud? (Hopefully I'd be in the "pipeline" for learning and advancing!) Listening to this book, I was also impressed by the realness and humbleness of his partners and the voices of their employees -- these people LOVE their "callings" (not job or careers, reminds Tony). For anyone who wants to embrace a new vision for the workplace, a way of doing business that brings happiness to employees and customers -- and therefore MORE PROFITS, listen to this book. I could not recommend it more, I am spreading the word to everybody I know.

Tony Hsieh

Great book. I recommend this book to anyone in the Customer Service field. Tony Hsieh has helped develop one of the best customer service centers. Their customer service philosophy should be a model for everyone to use.

People Service! Not just customer service.

Wonderful and energetic narration from the author himself.

Like so many of the success stories during the internet age, this one starts with a carefree young person who seems a bit lost at the start, not knowing exactly what to do, but he finds his way by risking everything several times to create something that feels just perfect to him. Tony seemed to have identified his field of sales/marketing early--it just took a while to recognize the right opportunity when it came along. Once he did that, he made it his and devoted himself to making it a success. Tony Hsieh's energy and excitement are Zappos. He has a system in place to wow customers like no other internet company. He didn't need to invent anything new, all those steps were always available for anyone caring enough to put it all together and mold it into a system to "Deliver Happiness" to customers and employees. Zappos employees are happy, they feel a part of the system and are being treated as valid partners. Tony's kind of energy and excitement is contagious. I will be watching to see what's next for him.

This book gives meaning to helping people.

I really enjoyed this book. Tony Hsieh never hear of him and never logged on to Zappos. Now I read all blogs and would love to visit Zappos for there tours they offer. Tony Hsieh captures your attention in this book and gives a new meaning to customer service.

A flat out good read

Really nice book to read. Tony Hsieh offers interesting commentary on the story of Zappos that provides insight into the importance of customer service and how to deliver it. This book may not be the best book in the customer service category, but it is the most personal and interesting. Tony tells real stories from his time at Link Exchange and Zappos and uses them to both entertain and teach.

Great story

A success and Inspiring story and it's nice to hear Tony tell the story. I admire his courage and determination it getting it done the way he wanted.

Walk the talk happiness

This is a book I will recommend to every significant person who crossed and will cross my life.

delivered happiness

this is a great read, more about the life of Tony, than just Zappos, however this audio version of the book has times of bonus content that a book just couldn't contain

Very good audible book

Where does Delivering Happiness rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the better audible business books I've had.

Who was your favorite character and why?

n/a

Which scene was your favorite?

n/a

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no, i listened on the way to/from work.